


It’s All About the Heart

by Snowsquall



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Cats, Canon-Typical Violence, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor's Bad Parenting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-09-17 02:53:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16966335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snowsquall/pseuds/Snowsquall
Summary: Warrior Cat AU! Housecat Midoriya Izuku has always wondered what’s beyond the trees in his yard, but he has more questions than answers when he runs into his long-lost idol, the famous runaway Mighty. Now Midoriya has a choice to make: strike out into the unknown, or stay home where it’s safe!





	1. A Beginning...

**Author's Note:**

> Okay! This is my first fic and it’s an AU to boot, so constructive criticism would be very much appreciated! If you have anything special you’d like to see in this fic, let me know~

In a deserted clearing, a tiny white tom sat alone, quietly looking up at the night sky. All around him were the sighs and snores of sleeping cats- his clanmates, those whom he had sworn to protect and guide with his knowledge of the world beyond their borders.

A small grey she-cat emerged from the shadows, her movements slow but graceful. 

The white cat greeted her with a nod. “How are they?” he meowed.

“They sustained only minor injuries, Smallstar,” answered the grey cat, sitting down a bit stiffly. “They are young and strong, and will recover quickly.”

Smallstar sighed. “We are lucky not to have lost any apprentices this time. Thank you for sharing your gift, Honeyfang.” He twitched an ear and looked out at the trees. “I must admit I am deeply troubled by tonight’s attack. It has been many, many months since his forces last held any kind of real power.”

“Difficult times are ahead,” the elderly she-cat agreed. “But, the year is only just beginning. Aspenheart is still a force to be reckoned with, and neither Duskthorn nor any of the other mentors will allow harm to come to any of the apprentices.” She lowered her voice. “What happened before will not be allowed to happen again.”

“No, it will not.” agreed Smallstar. “But training our young to become warriors takes time. We must have new warriors as soon as possible if we are to protect our clan.”

“Are you asking the stars for answers?” Honeyfang meowed, following his gaze, which had once again risen to the night sky. 

“No,” said Smallstar. “The stars do not favor our kind.”

Honeyfang tilted her head, a smile clear in her voice. “Old housecats?”

“Old heroes.” Smallstar meowed, thinking of a muscular black she-cat with the fiercest sense of justice and the kindest smile- and of her apprentice, once a scrawny, ever enthusiastic housecat, now a magnificently furred and horribly ill warrior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you’ve read the warrior cats books, this chapter will feel super familiar for you! I’m hoping this story will be accessible to fans of both MHA/BNHA and warriors fans, so expect a bit of rehashing- hopefully with some fun twists


	2. Awake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I honestly never expected anyone to read this, so thank you!! Your wonderful comments really made my day <3

Izuku opened his eyes. He immediately closed them again. 

It was very, very bright.

He squinted against the light, crouching down into a ball while he took a moment to concentrate on figuring out where, exactly, he was. A slight parting of his jaws revealed the warm smells of the forest rippling through the air, green plants and musty leaves and creatures small and furry. No trace of his familiar house or garden, no owners and their artificial scents, and not a whiff of his various feline friends. Allies. Acquaintances.

Nothing seemed familiar, and there was a strange scent in the air- a rich and metallic storm smell that made his fur fluff and his whiskers tingle. It drove him forward into the unknown.

He walked for a while, tripping over roots and stumbling into rocks. Everything here seemed to have a peculiar glow that blended right in with the intense lighting- Izuku could barely see the leafy branches of the bushes he was diving into. Still, he continued on.

After a short time- or maybe a long time? It felt as if he’d been following the scent for ages- he came to what appeared to be, if he squinted, a clearing. And sitting in that clearing was another cat.

He opened his mouth to ask a question, mind blank with surprise, and someone else’s voice came out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A cookie to whoever guesses the mysterious cat’s identity


	3. Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been working on this chapter for A While and I’m still not completely satisfied with it :/ still, I hope you enjoy!

Izuku woke with a start, jerking in his warm nest of blankets. Further down the bed, his owner twitched in her sleep, but did not wake. 

A little shaken but very, very curious, Izuku stretched and then leapt off the bed, headed towards his food bowl down the hall. He passed a mirror at the end of the hallway and stopped to consider his reflection.

Izuku was small for his age, with curly green-grey fur and sparkling emerald eyes. Watching himself in the mirror, (it had taken him a while to understand reflections, but his owners had been so amused when he finally did) he found that if he fluffed his thick fur and narrowed his eyes and adjusted his stance just so, he looked bigger and older and just a tad bit heroic.

He pictured that mysterious cat from his dream standing before him, pose imitating his, and his thoughts turned to the forest he knew lay just beyond the buildings outside his windows.

How many other cats were out there, beyond fences and gardens and owners’ houses? What did they look like? Were they bigger or stronger or smarter than housecats, or just the same? What did they eat when the cold months came and the birds flew away and the mice hid, and where did they sleep? Did many of them decide to adopt an owner, or was his mother an outlier?

Did any housecats run away to live there?

Izuku flattened an ear in thought. The only example that came to mind was Mighty, but surely there were more- other cats who had followed in his pawsteps and left the comforts of home to become something greater.

Mighty was, according to local legend, a massive golden tomcat with eyes as blue as the sky. He was stronger than a dog, faster than a bird, and could leap higher than a rabbit. Once he had been a housecat, but now he lived in the forest, or on the streets, or under the earth- actually, no one was really sure where he lived, but everyone knew he was a hero like no other.

He saved kittens from tall trees and elderly cats from house fires. He fought off dogs twice his size and brought food to the hungry. He had made it his personal mission to keep others safe- and he did it all with a smile and a boisterous laugh, no matter the danger.

Izuku would give anything to be like him.

Shaking his head, Izuku dropped his stance and smoothed his fur, glancing at the mirror one more time as he pushed thoughts of Mighty and the outside world and strange dreams out of his head. He trotted over to his food bowl and sniffed at the hard pellets uninterestedly.

It would be amazing. To eat whatever he wanted, to explore the world outside. To become a hero, and help others just like Mighty. To win the love and friendship of someone other than his mother.

A beam of moonlight shone brightly through a window, painting the floor silver. Izuku was reminded once again of the white forest in his dream. He dipped his head, suddenly feeling very lonely.

There was a loud bang, and then something dirty and furry and yellow slammed into the glass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *waggles eyebrows* Here we go!


	4. A Very Bad, No Good Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *I* Am Here!

Aspenheart was not having the best of days.

A morning of restless sleep, an afternoon of nearly fruitless hunting, and an evening of uneventful patrolling had left him tired and tense. 

He paused, stopping his trot along the top of a tall white fence to hop over to and scramble his way up a utility pole. Two thirds of the way up his side started to hurt, so he stopped for a few minutes once he had reached the top- just to get a good look around of course.

There were empty rooftops and dim alleys as far as the eye could see. The many buildings were mostly dark, with only a few windows lit up at this time of night. All was still and quiet, and the golden tomcat sighed deeply, breathing in the smells of owners and their pets. 

That scent had once been imbedded in his fur so deeply he had been unaware of it, unable to separate out what was uniquely him from the stench of his owners and their things.

Now he smelled of leaves and wood, of his clanmates and the blood of his last kill.

Ruffling his fur as if to shake away his thoughts, he tensed his muscles and leapt down to the ground, great tail puffed out behind him.

What to do now? He wondered absently. The rogue he had been pursuing seemed to have slipped away between the houses, and while normally he would have no trouble pursuing his scent over fences and through yards, this... Particular area had some very strong memories associated with it that’d he’d spent a long time trying to bury.

Movement in the distance snapped him from his thoughts, and after squinting he could just barely see the shape of a large cat slinking atop the roof of a nearby house. 

Decision made, Aspenheart broke into a run, boldly pursuing his target. Owners and housecats be damned, he was going to achieve *something* today.

Claws out and mouth open to catch any shred of scent, the fluffy golden tom raced through two adjacent yards before skidding to an almost-halt in front of a large lawn ornament. Effortlessly he leapt on top of it, bounding from there to a birdbath to a windowsill, ignoring the water that splashed everywhere and soaked his coat.

From there it was simple to scramble up the side of the house and onto the roof, where the rogue, turning at the other cat’s loud arrival, froze in dumb surprise.

Bracing himself, Aspenheart puffed his chest out and bristled his waterlogged fur. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” He boomed, trademark grin plastered on his muzzle.

The rogue, a filthy, slimy-furred creature with dull yellow eyes and snaggleteeth, grinned right back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s not much, but it is an update!


End file.
